In his classic series The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, sci-fi satirist Douglas Adams writes about an unique instrument of torture known as the Total Perspective Vortex: a small shed on a desolate planet that gave those unlucky enough to enter a glimpse of the entirety of the vast universe and, with the use of a tiny “You Are Here” placard, the victim’s infinitesimal place in it, reducing them to madness.

On a much smaller scale and with far less soul-crushing results, bassist/composer Bryan Copeland underwent a series of similar experiences in the lead-up to his new album, Sounds From the Deep Field. Finding inspiration rather than insanity in taking a wide view of the infinity surrounding us, Copeland composed ten vivid new compositions for his long-running, whimsically-named band Bryan and the Aardvarks, each reflecting a sense of awe as well as heady dose of cosmic mystery.

The first of those profound revelations came when Copeland and his wife, during a camping trip through California, encountered the giantsequoias of Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park, breathtaking groves of old-growth trees that measure up to 20 feet in diameter and tower to over 300 feet tall and can live for thousands of years. “You feel like such a tiny, miniscule thing next to these gargantuan trees,” Copeland says. “I had an existential awakening thinking about our life span compared to those trees, which is just the blink of an eye in perspective.”

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